Everyone wants to be a chopper pilot and I got my chance this February, in Aberystwyth, with Syma's small but maneuverable S107g Phantom. I was impressed, the little chopper was fun to fly and crash. So I decided to get one when I got back to LSPland.
One visit to Amazon Prime later and there it was, a brand new S107g blazing its way across country, all for the grand sum of $20. Pretty cheap for a helicopter, right? A couple of days later it arrived at Dallas HQ in a suspiciously large box. Fortunately for all concerned, there was a Spyderco Persistence close to hand. What could possibly be taking up all that space, I thought in wonderment as I hacked at the cardboard with my trusty Spyderco.
A lot of ballast, well done Amazon for protecting the chopper in transit, and the S107g Phantom itself, securely packaged with its controller and a USB charging cable. What else?
It came complete with an infrared control system, Tri-band Technology (three control channels), a high grade metal body and a built in gyroscope, handy for keeping the craft stable in flight and that's not all.
The "incredibly portable", well go figure, it's a miniature helicopter, S107g also has a "32-Level high precision speed controller, which automatically stabilizes the rotor blade system for steady lift off." And don't forget that the S107G's high precision propellers are powered by 2 solid motors with a third motor in the tail rotor. That's the marketing. Did it work?
Sure it did, like a treat, flying with surprising power for the whole length of its advertised 8 minute flight time. The diminutive Phantom took off, hovered, flew steady and darted about with surprising agility, thanks in part to an intuitive and light to the touch controller. Flying time over, the chopper charges by USB in 30 or so minutes and it's ready to get back in the action. Not a bad turn around for a helicopter and comparable to other models on the market.
It's well made, too, out of metal, and has an impressive light below its nose, which flashes red and blue alternately. Useful for night flying.
So what's the verdict? Syma's Phantom works as advertised and it's a lot fun to fly, offering big bang or the buck. A mere $20 for the vast pleasure of flying your very own helicopter on missions across the house. Cheap at half the price and I'll say it again, the Phantom's well made, nicely put together and strong with it. But is it tactical? Sure it is, especially on night missions. Do women like them? I'd have thought that was obvious.
So, if you're in the market for an affordable, well made indoor helicopter that works and's a lot of fun, check out the Syma 107g Phantom. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Fly on,
LSP
